Homeowners often desire having the convenience of lighting and electrical service in outdoor areas, such as along walkways or around decks, swimming pools, or similar structures. Typically, homeowners have had to install the electrical service and lighting separately, each in its own housing or enclosure.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,064, entitled “Landscape Fixture Support Post”, filed May 17, 2001 by the inventor of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, disclosed a mounting device for mounting a lighting fixture in an outdoor setting. The mounting device included a hollow cylindrical post easily molded of plastic. The lower portion of the post included integral radial projections to enable easy anchoring in the ground and a wide entryway for electrical supply cable. The radial projections, being integral with the post body, were less likely to separate from the post than stabilizer devices held by fasteners, as is typical of prior art posts. The post provided a top fitting for mounting a light fixture and a side port to provide access to the interior of the post for completing wiring connections.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/112,563, entitled “Outdoor Garden Post”, filed Mar. 28, 2002 by the inventor of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, improved upon the design of an outdoor mounting device by providing an electrical junction box having a top wall and four side walls integral with the post. The mounting device provided a secure junction box for mounting an electrical device, such as an outlet receptacle in addition to a lighting fixture. Wiring connections to both the electrical device and the lighting fixture could therefore be completed within a secure electrical junction box. By isolating the internal wiring connections to both the device and fixture within a secure junction box, the wiring connections were thus better protected from ground moisture and other environmental hazards. The mounting device also enabled the junction box to accept all standard wall-mounted electrical devices, increasing its functionality.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/253,185, entitled “Garden Post”, filed Sep. 24, 2002 by the inventor of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, improved upon the functionality of the outdoor garden post by disclosing a mounting device for mounting a fixture at a user-selectable height in an outdoor setting. The mounting device was modular in nature, with the installer able to add various modules to raise the height of a light fixture and electrical device to a desired level. The mounting device also included a secure electrical junction box for enclosing and protecting wiring connections.
Although all of the aforementioned disclosures improved upon prior art devices for mounting lighting fixtures in an outdoor setting, the mounting device is not optimized for those instances in which a homeowner wishes to keep an electrical cord installed in a receptacle for an extended period of time. For example, Although U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/253,185 provides a secure electrical junction box for enclosing wiring connections; over an extended period of time it is possible that rainwater could enter the junction box through the openings of the installed electrical receptacle. What is needed therefore, is a mounting device that protects an installed receptacle, and any electrical cords inserted therein, from rain and other environmental conditions. Additionally, the mounting device should provide the improved features of the aforementioned disclosures, including a secure electrical junction box for isolating wiring connections from environmental hazards, integral projections to improve anchoring to the ground, a wide lower cable entryway to allow easy access for underground cables. The mounting device should also be stable, durable, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and easy to maintain.